KYTC District 1 hosts Annual Safety Training "Roadeo" at Kenlake State Resort Park

On Tuesday the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) District 1 held its annual safety training event at Kenlake State Resort Park.

This event, known informally as the Equipment Operators' "Roadeo," features hands-on training and friendly competition for highway technicians, who showcase their skills operating backhoes, graders, dump trucks, and other essential maintenance equipment in an Olympics-style format.

For more than 20 years, Roadeo events across the state have played a vital role in helping equipment operators sharpen their precision and control — skills critical for real-world tasks such as plowing snow, maneuvering in tight spaces, and hauling materials safely.

Roadeo participants navigate timed courses designed to test accuracy, agility, and efficiency. In the backhoe challenge, for example, operators must use a spoon-like bucket attachment to pick up five golf balls from a sand-filled box and drop them into narrow cylinders with openings as small as three inches.

Top performers from each district advance to the statewide Roadeo event in June and state winners will be invited to join a regional competition involving other state transportation agencies.